Impressions And Perceptions, A Sequel
by ILoveTea
Summary: Modern Persuasion. Anne & Frederick met again after 8 years of separation. Sequel to Impressions And Perceptions but this one is NOT in a screenplay format. I replaced Chapter 1 because Mockingbyrd's Tune had been so kind to beta my fic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Persuasion.

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Anne Elliot was surprised. No, she was shocked to see who was behind the door: her ex-boyfriend, Frederick Wentworth! She felt a little relieved when she saw he was also surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. After eight long years, they were his first words to her. She couldn't help herself as she snapped back, "I live here." It seemed to be the logical thing to say. She technically lived there, in Charles and Mary's house, while her apartment was being renovated.

They stood in the foyer awkwardly, not knowing what to say, when Walter ran into the room, followed by his older brother, Junior. She welcomed the intrusion gladly. After sending Junior to take Frederick to Charles, she led her younger nephew to the dining room. He was always eager to help his favorite aunt. Anne gave him spoons to put on the table. She would take care of the knives and forks herself. After all, Walter was only three.

Crash! She was startled to hear a loud noise from the kitchen. She told Walter to stay in the dining room while she ran to the kitchen. She found the maid standing behind the counter, her left hand on her mouth. "Jemima, what happened?" she asked the terrified girl.

"Miss Anne, I'm… I'm sorry," she turned around. "I was going to take the lasagna out; but when I reached in, my arm touched the inside of the oven," she said, as she stared at the red burn mark on her right forearm.

Anne hurriedly came to her side and dragged her to the kitchen sink. "Put it under running water for several minutes. The water will take the heat away. I will give you an ointment later," she said, as she turned the faucet on.

"And what about the noise I heard just now?" she asked Jemima again.

Jemima looked scared. Her voice was trembling, "When I burned my arm, I jumped back and accidentally knocked a salad bowl off the counter."

She paused before she said, "It was new. Mrs. Musgrove bought it yesterday for tonight. Please don't tell her. She will be very angry." She looked at Anne with pleading eyes.

Anne sighed. "Don't worry, I'll think of something," she said, as she put on a pair of oven mittens and took the lasagna out. 'Smells good,' she thought to herself.

She walked back to the dining room and took Walter to the play room. She gave him crayons and papers to draw. Before going downstairs she went to her own room to get a tube of cream for burns.

When she was back in the kitchen, she gave the medicine to Jemima. After explaining how to use the cream, she took a broom from a cupboard and swept the glass shards.

Jemima left the sink and went to her, trying to take the broom from her hand. "You don't have to do it, Miss. That's my job."

Anne stopped what she was doing and talked to the girl kindly, "Put your arm back under the water. I don't care whose job this is. One of the boys could walk in here any moment now and I don't want any of them to get hurt."

Someone did walk in, but he was a lot older than her nephews. Frederick Wentworth entered the kitchen from the hallway. He looked confused.

"I, uh, I was looking for the bathroom," he said to no one in particular. Jemima, water flowing along her arm, started to giggle; but she was cut short when Anne shot her a warning glance.

Anne pointed to the corridor behind him and said, "It's the first door on the left."

He muttered his thanks before he turned around and walked out of the room. She sighed heavily and resumed sweeping.

They had dinner in peace. Mary didn't make any remark about the missing bowl. She apparently had forgotten all about it. But Anne was nervous for reasons other than dinnerware. She watched Frederick across the dinner table when she thought he wasn't looking. A few times she caught him glancing her way, but she quickly looked down.

'What am I doing?' she thought to herself. 'I'm acting like a love struck school girl. I'm a grown woman, I can handle this. But he is handsome in that suit. His face looks a little different, a little older, but it makes him much more charming. His voice, oh, how I miss his voice. And look at his broad shoulders. I'm sure he still swims regularly.'

She tried to hide her chuckle when she realized that she was thinking about her brother-in-law's business associate in a very un-businesslike way. But, apparently, she wasn't successful.

Mary asked her in a serious tone, "Anne, what's so funny? I was only telling you that I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow."

Everyone's attention was on her. She could see Frederick staring at her, waiting for her answer.

She struggled to find something to say. "I, uh, I just remembered watching an episode of House today. You know the TV series about that sarcastic doctor? He said something very funny to his patient." She hoped they wouldn't ask what he had said to the patient because, actually, she hadn't watched TV that day. After she had come home from work she had been busy playing with her nephews and cooking dinner.

Luckily, Mary decided it was enough and she began telling them the gossip she had heard from Mrs. Bennet that afternoon.

Anne released the breath she was holding; and, when she lifted her fork, she noticed Frederick was still looking at her. She looked down at her plate, her heart beating fast.

After dinner, they went to the study for coffee. Anne went to the children's playroom to check on the boys. They had eaten supper earlier. It was Friday night, so they were allowed to watch a movie before they went to bed. She left Jemima with the boys to watch over them. Junior loved his younger brother, but he liked to tease him a lot.

On her way to the study, she passed the French doors that led to the terrace. She could hear Frederick's voice.

"I'm worried about her," he said to someone invisible. Apparently he was talking on his cell phone.

Anne stopped, frozen in her tracks. She didn't like to eavesdrop, but she was curious. She wanted to know who he was talking about. No, she wanted to know everything about him. Was he married? There was no wedding ring, so there was hope. Where did he live? Was he still angry about their break-up? Did he still love her? So she just stood there, next to the open doors, trying to get any information about him.

"During the day she's all right, playing like usual. But last night, while sleeping, she suddenly started twitching and shaking. She's so small; I'm worried she might get sick." He paused for a while. "Maybe she misses her mother. When are you coming back?" He paused again. "I'm at a client's house. I asked Mrs. Harville next door to keep an eye on Tiff while I'm gone. Her daughter loves playing with Tiff."

Anne couldn't stay any longer. Not only was he married, he also had a daughter. She ran to her room. She buried her head on the pillows to make sure nobody heard her sobs.

She didn't know how long she had been crying when she heard a knock on her door, followed by Mary's voice. "Anne? Are you in there? Why don't you join us downstairs? Frederick said he needed to talk to you."

Anne was surprised. He wanted to talk to her? Whatever for? It looked like he was over the past and had moved on. He had a wife and child, while she was stuck in eternal regret.

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A/N: This is a sequel to "Impressions And Perceptions." Kellyroxton requested it. I hope you all like this. Tell me what you think.

I replaced this chapter because Mockingbyrd's Tune had been so kind to beta my fics. Thank you, M.T.

I hope the readers will enjoy this story more after the grammar mistakes have been corrected.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Persuasion and Detective Conan.

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"Anne? Are you there?" Mary knocked again.

"Yes, yes. I'll be out soon," Anne said without opening the door. She didn't want her sister to see her like that.

"OK, I'll go down now," Mary said from behind the door.

Anne retouched her make-up before she left the room. Her dress was a little crushed but she was sure nobody would notice. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the study.

Charles smiled widely when he saw her. "Here she is. Where have you been?" He didn't wait for an answer before he continued, "Frederick was telling us he is worried about his cat. I told him you're a vet. Maybe you could help him."

It turned out Frederick was cat-sitting his sister's kitten. While Sophia Croft was on holiday to Spain with her husband, she left her pet kitten in Frederick's care.

Anne was stunned. Then she felt relieved, as if a huge stone was lifted from her chest. Like a fish put back into the water. Like… oh, stop that! She kicked herself mentally. That's what you get when you listen to other people's conversations, she scolded herself.

Anne listened to Frederick describing the feline's behavior. Being a veterinarian, she's familiar with those symptoms. She assured him, "It's okay, that was definitely a dream. It's the reason for the muscle twitch. In her dream she was playing and as a response her nerves started to twitch."

"So you think she's fine?" he asked her.

She smiled reassuringly, "Yes. If you want to, I can examine her to make sure she doesn't have any illnesses."

His face lit up. "Would you? Thank you." He paused. "When can I see you again? To bring the kitten, I mean," he said a little nervous.

"You can come to my clinic tomorrow. Let me get you my card," she said as she stood up. She went to her room again and took a business card from her purse. She was already at the door when a thought occurred and she went back in. She scribbled something at the back of the card and walked out of her room with a satisfied smile.

"Here," she said as she gave him her card. "That's the clinic's address and phone number." She added, "I wrote down my personal phone number at the back. In case you want to call me. Umm, about your cat."

He flipped the card back and smiled as he saw the numbers.

"What's her name, anyway?" she asked him, curious.

He replied, "Tiffany, but I call her Tiff for short."

She raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why you named her that?"

He shook his head. "Not I. She's Sophy's cat. My sister chose that name. At first she wanted to call her "Cat," like Audrey Hepburn does in the movie "Breakfast At Tiffany's" but her husband said it was ridiculous. So she called her Tiffany instead."

Anne laughed and he joined her. His eyes were on her. She looked back this time. She remembered those dark blue eyes. How she often dreamt about them. If only he knew.

"Anne," he called her softly. She replied, "Yes?"

"Can I call you tonight? I mean if Tiff suddenly fall ill or something, is it okay if I call you?" he asked nervously.

She smiled as she answered, "Yes, you can call me any time. I'll always be here for you."

He pondered her words for a moment and asked again, "And if nothing happens to Tiff, can I call you still?"

She nodded shyly as she said, "Of course."

He took her hand and held it in between his hands. "Oh, Anne," he said as he stepped closer.

Whether he would have proceeded farther was left to Anne's imagination to ponder over in a calmer hour, for Charles was calling out to him from the other side of the room, "Frederick, please come here. My wife wants to hear your plans concerning Hayter Inc."

"Yes, Charles," Frederick said as he glanced behind his shoulder. "I'll be right there."

He turned back to Anne, his hand still holding hers. "Shall we join them?" he asked her.

She was still blushing when she nodded her head. "Yes," she said softly.

Who can be in doubt of what followed? He called her that night and they talked for hours. When he came the next day to the clinic with Tiffany, he asked Anne to have lunch with him. And she said yes.

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Sometime in the future.

Woof! Woof! A dog ran past her, followed by two 5-year-olds. "Tom! Jane! Be careful!" she yelled across the garden. The kids slowed down, yelled back, "Yes, Mum!" and resumed their pace.

She wanted to run after them, but as a 9-month-pregnant woman she had difficulty walking, let alone running. So she sat on the garden bench. An older woman walked toward her and said, "Mrs. Wentworth, you must not over exert yourself."

"I'm fine, Nanny Rooke. I'm fine. Don't worry. Have you seen my husband?" she asked the nanny.

"I haven't seen him yet. What time did he say he was coming from his business trip?"

"His plane was supposed to have landed hours ago," she said with a frown on her face.

"Then I'm sure he will arrive soon. Now if you'll excuse me, I must find the children. They must wash before dinner." Nanny Rooke said and left her.

She sat back, watching her children played at the other side of the garden.

"Catherine!" she heard her husband's voice and she got up to see him running toward her. His jacket was flipping wildly.

He came to her side and hugged her tight, as close as her huge belly allowed. "I'm sorry Darling. The plane was delayed. Oh, how I miss you. But I'm here now. Where are the twins?" He turned left and right, looking for his children.

Catherine pulled her husband down to sit next to her.

"Playing with Goldie. They just adore him. I'm warning you, next Christmas Santa might have to bring a dog down the chimney," she said with a serious look.

He laughed heartily. "I don't think I can handle a pair of twins, a baby, and a dog. If they want a pet they have to understand the responsibilities." He kissed his wife before he continued, "Maybe when they're older. Like fifty years from now." He laughed at his own joke. She smacked his arm lightly but she laughed when she said, "Well, Edward, we'll see what you will say when they look at you with their big blue eyes. We both know you never say no to them."

"Say no to what?" they heard a deep voice from behind them.

They turned around and saw Frederick holding a baby in his arms.

Edward stood up, watching the baby in awe. "So this is my new niece. Hello there, Beautiful."

Frederick's face lit up with pride. "Isn't she gorgeous? Anne said she looks like me but I think she looks more like her mother. Look at her hair. Although I admit she has my eyes."

Catherine chuckled. Edward asked his brother, "Have you decided on a name yet?"

Frederick shook his head. "No, we've been searching for names ever since we found out that Anne was pregnant, but we still can't decide."

Catherine frowned and said, "But you can't call her 'Baby' forever. You must choose a name for her." She held the baby's small fist in her bigger hand.

Frederick grinned as he asked, "What do you think about Tiffany?"

Edward looked at him incredulously. "You're going to name your daughter after Sophy's cat? While you're at it, why not Goldie after your dog?"

Frederick was laughing. "That was a joke."

When he realized the other two were not laughing, he told them, "My bad. Sorry. It's a personal joke between my wife and me."

Catherine's voice broke the awkward silence. "Let's get back to the house. I'm sure Anne will love to see you, Edward,"

Frederick said, "Oh, I just remembered I was sent by Anne to call you. The Crofts are already here. Dinner will start soon."

And the three of them walked together into the house.

FIN

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A/N: I took the idea about the cat from Detective Conan manga. I used a few lines from that manga and also from the book Persuasion. I'm sure you know which ones.


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